ISLAM
Judaism
| Christianity
How is the nature of God understood in the religion?
by John Kaltner
The
Arabic word allah, the standard Islamic term for God, translates
literally as “the deity.” It is not a personal name
or title, but conveys more or less the same sense the English word
“God” does. The defining
quality of God’s nature from the Muslim point of view is oneness,
a view summed up succinctly in Qur’an 16:23: “Your God
is one God.” Neither of the other two monotheistic faiths
places the emphasis on the unity and indivisibility of God that
Islam does. The term for this aspect of God’s nature is tawhid,
which is etymologically related to the Arabic word for “one.”
According
to Islam, the worst thing a person can do is to somehow violate
the unity of God. The term for this offense is shirk, which
comes from an Arabic root that describes the act of associating
or sharing something with something else. Someone guilty of this
offense associates something from the created world with the uncreated
nature of God, thereby dividing up and denying the oneness that
is the essence of the divine. This can be done physically, by setting
up an image or an idol as a sign of God, or intellectually, as when
one believes some individual or object shares in the divine nature.
According to the Qur’an, shirk is the greatest sin
and the only offense that God cannot forgive. “Truly, God
will not forgive having something associated with him, but he will
forgive anything short of that as he pleases. Whoever associates
something with God has committed a very grave offense” (4:48).
This
is the main reason why Islam
does not permit paintings or other representations of God, a prohibition
that is often extended to include images of any living being.
One of the most noticeable differences between a mosque and many
churches is that the former lacks any artwork depicting humans or
animals. This is avoided because such representations could be improperly
associated with God and therefore lead to shirk. The absence
of such art is also sometimes explained by the belief that only
God has the right to create living beings. The artist who produces
such images is therefore guilty of trying to usurp God’s power
and authority. These views have not resulted in mosques and other
Islamic buildings that are devoid of all artwork. Rather, they are
typically adorned with very elaborate script and ornate geometric
patterns like arabesque that are quite beautiful and aesthetically
pleasing.
According
to mainstream Muslim belief, God is a transcendent reality that
is ultimately unknowable to humanity. Despite that divide, there
is a longstanding tradition in Islam that claims humans can know
something about God’s nature even if we are incapable of grasping
the totality of the divine essence. Several times in the Qur’an,
reference is made to the names of God. “Allah—there
is no God but he. To him belong the most beautiful names”
(20:8). These texts are the basis for a tradition that claims God
has ninety-nine names, each describing some aspect or quality of
the deity. Many of these names come from the Qur’an, and the
list includes designations like the following: “the Highest,”
“the All-Seeing,” “the Living,” and “the
Giver.” Many pious Muslims memorize the entire list of names
or portions of it and recite them in their personal prayers. In
this way, they are able to know and reflect on certain qualities
that God possesses.
A final
facet of the Muslim understanding of God deserving mention is the
belief that this is the same God worshiped by Jews and Christians.
According to the Qur’an, in various times and places throughout
history, God’s word has been revealed to prophets who were
then charged with the task of communicating that message to their
people. The names of many of these individuals are familiar to Bible
readers. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus, as well as other
biblical figures, are among those identified in the Qur’an
as prophets.
This
highlights an important belief about God’s nature that Jews,
Christians, and Muslims all share. As
faiths that are based on revelation, they all maintain that God
is an active conversation partner with humanity, even to the point
of initiating contact with them in order to convey the divine will.
Despite the radical monotheism of Islam that leads
to a transcendent view of the deity as totally other, it teaches
that God is deeply concerned about human beings and their destiny.
Copyright
©2006 John Kaltner
John
Kaltner is a member of the Department of Religious Studies
at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee where he teaches courses
in Bible, Islam, and Arabic. Among his books are Islam:
What Non-Muslims Should Know (2003); Inquiring
of Joseph: Getting to Know a Biblical Character through the Qu’ran
(2003); Ishmael
Instructs Isaac: An Introduction to the Qur’an for Bible Readers
(Collegeville: Liturgical Press/Michael Glazier, 1999).
Excerpts
from What Do Our Neighbors Believe?: Questions and Answers on
Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Howard Greenstein, Kendra
Hotz, and John Kaltner are used by permission from Westminster John
Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky. The book will be available for
purchase in December 2006.
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